The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-01-06
BEHIND THE COUNTER,

'My first day at the store!" said Car
Y Waliingford, with a curious thrill
thsoagbS aar, as if an ice cold stream
were trickliug down the line of her spi-
nal column. ooh, wish were rich
girl, and didn't have to work9"
"Work is honorable, my child" said
old Uncle Wolsey, who, with his specta-
eles on his nose was trying to spell
through the illegiblc paragraphs of the
daily paper, muttering to himself that
"cither they didn't print as good as they
used to, or else his old eyesight was fail
ing"
eyes, KNOW" huttered Carry; 'but
but Pm very willing that someone else
should have the honor this time"
Uncle Wolscy turned his glasses with
mild rcproach upon his niece's pink-and-
white balsam of face.
81 wish I could be as brave as you,
Uncle WolseyT said Garry, as she tied
the crimson strings of her little capote
under her round chin.
Old Wolsey Wallingfcrd had sheltered
his little pet lamb by his hearth-fold all
her lifetime until now. He was jewel
er by trade, and he had kept his unpre-
tending store open as long as possible.
But the tide Of fashion went by, and left
him stranded on the unfrequented side
street, where the sign of the tarnished
silver watch attracted no further atten-
| ton.
And one day, when he had set all day
in the window with his magnifying-gla
working at some impossible old time
| piece, whose owner had died and never
called for it, the twilight crept darkly
over his eyesight and his heart.
He laid down his tools.
"All day long" said he, "and never &
customer! Well-a-day it is time for the
old man to shut up his store at last"
He went out and put up the wooden
shH.4e,I-with Heart that was leayie.
than they, and from that time thence
forward the wooden imitation of the sill
yer watch swung no longer over the door.
Uncle Wolsey had been conquered III
life's battle, and had laid down his arms,
and now it was that Garry reluctantly
threw herself into the breach.
How could she let the dear old man
starve2 And Mr.. Pickrelrs fancy aud
dry goods store on Sixth avenue was
really very creditablc establishment,
and Mrs. Piclsrell herself had promised,
from the severe heights Of the cashiers
desk, to 'kcep an eye" upon old Mr..
Wailngfords niece, and if her services
proved desirable, there was no sort Of
doubt but that her salary would be in
creased in time.
So Garry buttoned up her sack, drew
on her neat lisle-thread gloves and took
the little basket, in which, wrapped in Q
napkin, was packed her lunch of apple,
pie and cheese, and went forth to meet
her new career, little reckoning how
brief it was to be.
At first it was not very pleasant. Tho
store was small and stuffy, with gorgeous
| piles of crctonnc and chintz at the door,
and festoons of laces, silk handkerchief
and colorcd jerseys tapping against tht
heads of the girls behind the counter, Of
whom there were three besides Garry
bold, high voiced damses, who wore
their hair down over the bridge of theiI
noses and giggled necessarily.
Customers camc and went, change was
made and paper parcels expeditiously
wrapped up.
Mr.. Pickrell walked the floor with his
hands in his pockets, ordered away
small girls whose noses were fattcncd
too persistently against the windows out
side, and smiled beamingly on old ladie!
who stopped to examine the quality o
the chintzes and flannel suitings.
Mrs. Pickrcll rcprimanded the young
women with the banged hair Tor gigglins
too loud when there were customers il
the store, and called to Garry to ''mint
what she was about" when box of rib
bons fell off the counter upon the floor.
Garry grew very weary, her head begar
to ache, and she wondered how long i
would be before "shutting-up time"
At last tall, brown-faced young mar
came in, wearing a. .foreign-looking Goa
trimmed with fur, and somehow bearin.
in his aspect the iudcscribable stamp o
belonging to some other country.
One of the banged haired nymphs wa
eating her lunch; the second lad rushed
up the street to get change for ten dol
lar bill; and the third was engaged il
matching an impossible shade of ribbol
for young lady who was determined
not to be pleased with anything.
"Carryp shrilly signaled Mrs. Pick
rell.
And our heroine advanced gallantly t
the rescue.
"What can show you9" she asked
timidly, Of the new customer.
''Silk, lease said the young man.
And when Garry perceived that b
was considerably more embarrassed tha
herself, she took courage.
"What color?n said SIC.
81 don't know" answered the Gus
tomer-- "'that isl haven't quite mad
up my miud. Perhaps you cou'i sug
gest--'